The Spark That Lit The Fire
by Sinthea Madness
Summary: A story revolving around Pyro and his life that isn't shown in the movies. It begins before the movies but most of it will take place before, during and after X3. All reviews are welcome, though I prefer constructive ones. Let me know what you think. Ch.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Ya'll know I don't own this stuff. Except for Aris…but she doesn't count, does she?

Review if you want it continued, I don't know if it's any good, I just wanted to give a possible explanation for all of Pyro's anger and bitterness so I have tried to do that, but I thought of this in like 10 minutes, so if you want more just let me know.

* * *

"Hey JV, Clara, Sean…Aris." 14-year-old, John Allerdyce greeted his friends as he entered the clearing in the woods, the place they always met when they snuck out of their respective homes. The boy ran his fingers through his brown hair and took a seat next to one of the girls in the group; a red-head. He leaned over and pressed his lips against the pale flesh of her cheek.

"For the last time, Pyro…stop calling me Aris." The red-head sighed, with mock exaggeration. Both teenagers momentarily forgot about the other three kids; they were so wrapped up in each other. He reached forward and pushed a strand of hair away from her face.

"But Alea…you're my Aristotle, I need you to think for me. God knows I can't manage it myself." He half-joked, his hand intertwining with hers. "Besides, you call me Pyro…I get to call you Aris if I want to."

"Ew…gross!" One of the kids, a pretty brown-haired girl, laughed. "John, Alea…knock it off. Some one might actually think ya'll fuckin' like each other." All five kids laughed, John playfully threw his back-pack at her and Alea shook her head.

"Shut up, JV." Alea laughed, "John, would you start the campfire for us?" She rolled her eyes and began to distribute snacks to her friends. When all the food was handed out she took a seat between JV and Sean, watching intently as John played with his book of matches. Other than him, she was the only one that knew what he could do those sparks he kept igniting.

"You know, Aris, my parents have gone out for the night. They aren't supposed to be home until 5 or 6 in the morning…" John said, grinning just a bit as he looked at the girl from the corner of his eye. He looked at his watch, "It's only about 11 right now…"

"Oh, really?" JV, Clara and Sean exchanged looks, knowing full well that they were about to be ditched. "You guys…I just remembered that I left something or other of some kind of importance at Johnny's house and I really have to go get it."

"Yeah, whatever you say Alea…go play."

John took his girl by the hand and led her into the trees, heading towards his house. She took one last look at her friends, over her shoulder grinning apologetically. It wasn't the first time the two had left their friends to spend the night together and neither planned for it to be their last.

When they got to the small suburban home where the Allerdyce family resided, both head upstairs, straight to John's bedroom. They took a moment to light a few candles; sex was always better by the flickering light of a flame. Then the teenage girl roughly pushed his girlfriend to his bed, pressing his lips to hers , hen down her neck. His hands searched under her shirt and soon it was lifted off. Their seconds blurred into minutes and the time flew by. A couple hours passed, it was about 2 in the morning. The two teenagers lay under the bed sheets, wrapped up in each other's bodies.

The flames from the candles danced across the room in shapes of stars and hearts, as John conducted their silent symphony; the only sound in his room came from their breathing and her occasional giggles when he would pause his show to kiss her or to tickle her. "I forgot…I got you something." The redhead said suddenly, jumping up and searching for her pants. "It's not much…but I thought you'd like it." She reached in the pocket of her jeans and pulled out a Zippo-brand lighter; it was a dirty silver with the design of a caroontish shark's mouth, much like a design one might expect to find on a WWII torpedo. "I saw it and thought it was fitting of you." She shrugged and handed it to him.

"Thanks, Aris." He smiled; he had wanted a Zippo for a while, they were much better than the stupid Bic-brand lighters he'd been collecting. He flicked the lighter open and lit the flame, then snapped it close, repeating that several times as he looked ather naked body, standing in front of him.

"Shit!" He yelled suddenly, as both instantly began to panic. A car had pulled into the driveway, just below John's room; his parents were home. Quickly, Alea threw her clothes back on as John pulled a tank top and a pair of boxers out of his drawer and threw them on. He ran his hands threw her hair and paused to share a passionate kiss with her as the sound of the front door slamming, rang up from below. "Will you be okay climbing out of the window?" He breathed, his forehead resting against hers.

"I don't want to do this right now!" John's mother yelled downstairs, loud footsteps stomped up the stairs.

"Yeah…I've done it before." She shrugged, regretfully backing away from the boy she loved. Quickly she blew him a kiss and climbed out the open window. John closed it behind her and threw himself onto his bed, picking up a book from the floor to pretend that he'd been reading.

"Now's as good a time as any!" His father yelled back; he couldn't have been more than a few feet away from John's door.

"Can't it just wait until morning?"

"No!" A heavy fist started banging on the boy's bedroom door. "John, open up. We need to talk." The older man demanded, his knocks rattling the door on it's hinges.

"Jesus Christ, it isn't locked, Dad!" The boy yelled back, anger contorting his face.

"How many times have I told you not to talk to me like that?" The man burst through the door, almost lunging at his son. He grabbed him by the tank-top and pulled him off the bed, forcefully dragging him out into the hall and down the stairs, to where his mother sat, looking ready to cry. "Sit your ass down." He shoved John onto the couch next to his mother. "We're tired of the way you've been acting lately. Sneaking out at all hours, getting into all kinds of trouble, no respect…at least five times in the past few months you've been escorted home by the police for trying to start fires! We're done!" He yelled at John who sat with his arms crossed, glaring back at him.

"You're father and I have been looking into schools for you, boarding schools, and we found one. It's called Xavier's School, it's a prep school and works with misguided youth." John's mother explained softly, resting her hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off, moving as far from her as he could without having to stand.

"We're leaving to take you there at sunrise. Go pack." His father demanded, once again pulling him up by the shirt and pushing him off towards the steps.

"But Dad, what about Ar…Alea?" John turned and stared, open-mouthed at his father. Surely, he would have a chance to say good-bye to her, what would she think if he left without saying good-bye?

"We'll let her know where you've gone. I said go pack." He slapped the fourteen-year-old across the back of the head, sending him off up the stairs. John grabbed his back-pack, still dirt covered from hours before in the woods, and stuffed a couple pairs of clothes and his new lighter in it. Then threw himself down on his bed to write a letter to his Aristotle, but he never had time to finish it. A mere three hours later, he was on his way to a new life and never got to say good-bye.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer and other stuff: I still don't own anything or anyone but Aris (and Airen) in here. This takes place between X2 and X3, though my timeline might be off a little bit, I have been trying to intertwine my story with the movies. There will be at least two or three more chapters. Again, feel free to review, I love hearing what you have to say.

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The redhead stood behind the register as the local grocery store, obviously bored and grouchy. The customer that was checking out at the moment had decided to lecture her about the flames she had tattooed around her wrists.

"Tattoos are self mutilation," the old woman screeched, slapping at the cashier with a magazine. "No one who works in a public place should have such marks! Especially if they aren't covered! It's repulsive, it's disgusting, and you should know that I will not be shopping here anymore!"

Nodding silently, use to having customers bitch and scream at her, the nineteen year old girl handed the customer her bags and sighed as the old woman walked away. It was eleven o'clock pm and besides, she hated dealing with humans, she hated having to work, let alone work a job that barely paid, but she needed the money; it wasn't just herself she had to look after. It hadn't been in five years.

The girl's hands began to twitch and she looked up, as if searching for something. There was a mutant somewhere in the store, one that she had met before. She new how this power felt in her head, familiar, comfortable…but she didn't dare put a name to it. For the last five years she had thought he was dead. But then again…Magneto had said it was very possible that Mr. and Mrs. Allerdyce had been telling the truth.

There he was flipping through a magazine, older, but still obviously the same boy; the same jaded look, the same brown hair, the same uncaring expression on his face. Angrily, she took off her nametag and sat beside the register so that he'd have to figure out who she was, all by his self. Then she walked over to him.

"Can I help you with anything?" She asked, her tone clearly stating that that was the last thing she wanted to do. He looked up from the magazine, obviously not recognizing her. Without stopping to think, the red-haired girl swung hard and punched him across the face.

"Ow! What the hell?" He yelled, rubbing the side of his face. His brown eyes stared at her; beginning to realize exactly who it was that was standing in front of him. "Aris…?"

"John Allerdyce, you fucking…" She hissed, lunging at him. She knocked him to the floor and continued to hit his face with her fist. "Why didn't you write to me? Why didn't you say good-bye? I thought you were dead!"

"Would you stop hitting me!" He yelled, wondering, briefly, how no one had heard the commotion yet. He reached up and grabbed her hands, pushing her off of him. He wrapped his arms tightly around hers, so that she couldn't move, then sat their on the floor, holding her against him. "I…I didn't think you'd want me to. I didn't think you'd care what I had to say."

"You're an idiot…" She whispered, a few stray tears falling rolling down her cheeks.

"I know…" He grinned, bitterly. "Isn't that why I always called you Aristotle, didn't I always tell you I needed you to think for me?"

"Hey, you! What are you doing, get off her!" A man's voice yelled. The two teenagers looked up, to see the store manager standing in front of them. John let go of her and they stood up, John's hand reaching into the pocket of his jeans.

"Are you okay, Alea?" He boss asked, looking at the girl's tear-stained face.

"I…I'm fine." She looked at her boss, and then looked at John. Nothing good could possibly come of this. John pulled out his old Zippo and lit the flame, it took a second for Alea to realize that that was the same lighter she had given him years ago, but when she did she couldn't help but grin. A small ball of fire formed in John's hand.

"Pyro…"

"Hey, what are you doing, freak?" The man's eyes grew wide, as he watched the fire grow in the young boy's hand. "You're one of them mutants aren't you?" He pulled out a small handgun from the waist-band of his jeans and aimed it at John's head. "I don't want anyone getting hurt here…"

"Lyle, stop it, put that away…" Alea said carefully, attempting to keep the peace. John extinguished the flame in his hand; even he was smart enough to know that his fire was no match for the man's gun at that close a range.

"Did he hurt you, Alea?"

"I wouldn't -" John started to say, but the man cut him off.

"Shut up, Freak! I was talking to her, not you!"

"Lyle, He wouldn't hurt me."

"He's making you say that…"

"No, he isn't!" Alea's voice started to rise; she was beginning to get scared. She couldn't loose John again. Not after five years of not knowing, not before he'd met Airen, not before they had a chance to fix things between them.

"Alea, stop sticking up for him!"

"No!"

"He's a mutant…" Lyle turned the gun toward her and two things happened at once.

"So am I!" Alea screamed, turning her hands toward her employer, sending bolt of electricity into his chest. Simultaneously, John relit his lighter and flames shot at the man.

A small crowd had gathered, unnoticed due to drama of the moment. A stunned silence fell over the people. For a second, John and Alea stood, staring at each other. Then she grabbed his hand and pulled him through the terrified group of people. "C'mon…" She led him out of the store, to her car.


	3. Chapter 3

Alea and John sat in her car in the parking lot outside her apartment building. She rested her head against her arms on the steering wheel, crying quietly. He avoided looking at her; instead he stared out the window of the run-down old car, taking in the shabby buildings, dirty environment and obvious disarray of where she lived. Were things really that bad for her? What had happened in the past five years?

"You said you thought I was dead…" Still he didn't look at her.

"Yeah…"

"Didn't my parents tell you where they sent me?"

"They said…they said that you went to some school in New York, but wouldn't tell me where. I believed them until months had passed any I hadn't gotten any word from you. Your father was always so violent…and I was sure that you wouldn't have just left me like that…" She sat up, pressing her hands against her eyes. Turning to him, she sighed. "I was sure he had done something to you…"

"Aris, I'm sorry." He turned to look at her for the first time in the ½ hour since they had left the store. "My father may have been an ass, but I don't think he'd do something like that…"

"Yeah, well…you didn't see him after you left. He was a mess, he was so…broken." His father had quit his job, stayed home all day and drank. He had fallen from a respected member of the community to bum that no one wanted around after John left. Everyone had thought he'd done something to his son.

"Stop crying…" He whispered, brushing away her tears with his thumbs.

"I've missed you so much…" She sighed, pulling away from him and getting out of the car. "Look, you wanna come up stairs with me? We've got a lot to talk about." She wiped at her eyes and sighed one last time, closing the door of her car and walking towards the apartment building.

"Yeah, sure…" Quickly he got out of the car and followed her.

They walked up to the third floor. Stopping outside the door, Alea rested her hand on John's chest. "You have to be quiet, alright. My…son…should be in bed."

"Wait, son, what?" John asked, reaching for her arm, but she had the door unlocked and was already walking inside before he could get an answer. On the couch sat a little brown-haired boy, four or five years old, and a young woman about the same age as Alea and John, give or take a couple years.

"Airen, what are you doing still up?" Alea asked, walking over to the child. He shrugged and yawned loudly, stretching his arms over his head.

"Who's that?" He asked, standing on the couch and wrapping his arms around his mommy, looking at John.

"Just an old friend. Go to bed, baby. We're leaving in the morning." The kid frowned as his Mommy kissed his head and sent him off to his room.

"Again?"

"Yes, baby. Again…" She watched him walk into his bedroom. "I'll be in in a minute to tuck you in." She turned to the baby-sitter, "Paige, I told you; he needs to be in bed at 8, and it's midnight! He's five years old, what the hell were you thinking?" She hissed, keeping her voice down so that she wouldn't disturb Airen. "Go home, Guthrie."

"What about my money?" The girl demanded, outraged.

"You don't deserve to get paid, get out!" She shoved the girl out the door and slammed it shut. Groaning, she turned to John. "I'm sorry, I'll be back in a second. It's not much, but feel free to make yourself at home." She waved her hand towards the ratty, moth-eaten couch and walked into the little boy's room.

John walked around, looking at the dust covered pictures and broken furniture. He shook his head; every time he had thought about her in the past five years, he never once imagined that her life would have been like this. He'd always thought that she'd be attending some fancy college at the moment, probably sharing a dorm room with JV.

By the small, dirty, old TV, stood a few framed photographs. One of him and Alea in the clearing in the woods, one of a pregnant Alea and JV and one of Alea with a toddler, presumably the little boy named Airen. John picked up that last one and wiped the dust off with the bottom of his shirt. The little boy had his hair, his eyes, his fathers nose…but he had Alea's smile. The most amazing smile John had ever seen. Only Rouge's had ever come close.

"He was three in that picture." Alea leaned against the door-frame of her son's bedroom, watching John.

"He's mine isn't he?" John asked, even though he already knew the answer. She nodded for a moment, then walked past him into the apartment's tiny kitchen. He looked at the picture a moment longer, than sat it down and followed her. He wanted to ask why she never told him, but knew that she couldn't have if she wanted to. She hadn't had any way to contact him.

"Do you want something to eat?" She asked, peering into the refrigerator.

"What d'ya got?"

"Let's see…left over pizza, left over Chinese, left over McDonalds, some gross-looking strawberries…not much." She closed the fridge and looked in the freezer. "We have some vanilla ice cream and there should be some Lucky Charms in the cabinet." She shut the freezer and shrugged. "Like I said…not much."

"Nah, I'm not really hungry." He sat down at the dining room table and pulled out the old lighter, habitually flicking it open, on, then closed, repeatedly.

"I can't believe you still have that thing." Grinning, she shook her head, sitting cross-legged on the counter. "Hasn't it run out of lighter fluid yet?"

"Yep, I just keep getting it refilled. It's been kind of important to me." He shrugged, looking out the kitchen window, a couple was arguing violently down on the ground. "Is this where you've been living for the past five years?"

Her grin faded, "Only about the last two months. How I ended up here's kind of a long story."

"I've got nothing but time. Unless you don't want to talk about it." He pressed his lips together, concentrating on her face. He use to be able to read what she was thinking, just by looking at her, but she was a pretty different person now and years without practice had broken that connection between them.

"No…it's okay…I just…haven't really talked about it much." The look in her eyes grew distant as she remembered. "Well it was a couple days after the night I gave you that lighter. You hadn't been around in a while, so I went to go see you. That was when your parents told me that you weren't going to be around anymore. For three months I waited for a letter from you, but then I gave up hope. I was in my second trimester then and I had to tell my parents. But…they didn't take the news well, they kicked me out.

"For the next couple of months I lived with JV. You know how much her parents liked me; they had no problem supporting me, but about two months after I came to live with them her dad got laid off and I knew they couldn't afford me. So one night, I left while they were all sleeping, knowing it would be better for them. I found a shelter, where I stayed until Airen was born, but they got closed down by the Health Department. I survived by convincing people to give me things, which is surprisingly easily when you're a teenage mother with no where to go. But I took what I couldn't get and moved every time I felt I had overstayed my welcome. For a while, I lived with a lady named Danielle. She was a mutant too, with the power to create images in people minds, or something like that." She shrugged, still looking distant as John listened intently to her story.

"Then a couple of months ago, almost a year, actually, I was approached by a mutant named Magneto." She didn't notice John's eyes grow wide as she said this. "He was interested in my powers and wanted me to help him and his followers capture Senator Kelly's assistant, so that Mystique could become him and keep an eye on Kelly. I agreed to help and for a while, I was living with them. He promised me things would be better for Airen and I if he accomplished his goals. I trusted him, I trusted him enough to tell him all about Airen's father 'my old friend Pyro' and he told me about Xavier's School for the Gifted. That was the first time I actually doubted whether you were dead or not.

"When it came time to actually complete our mission though, things went pretty wrong. I ended up getting shot in the shoulder, but they got their man and I was rendered relatively useless. He had me and Airen dropped off at a hospital and then we were on our own again. Airen and I moved from shelter to shelter for a few months and then I met the owner of this complex ad after some…bargaining…he agreed to let me stay here for free." She shivered at the thought of the 'negotiations' she had been through.

"Do I need to kill him for you?" John asked, one eyebrow raised. He had noticed her shiver and the sick look that contorted her face when she mentioned him. "I will, if you want."

She looked at him, unsure whether or not to take him seriously. "No John…I'd do t myself f it needed to be done."

"You know…no one calls me John anymore. Everyone calls me Pyro."

"Yeah well, the only people that don't call me Aris are my employers and after tonight…I don't think I work there anymore."

"Yeah…sorry about that."

"Not your fault." She shrugged.

"You know I'm working with Magneto, right?" He continued playing with his lighter. _Click, swish, click. Click, swish, click._

"I figured. That was about the only way you'd just happen to walk into where I work. Mystique came in the other day, I don't think she knew I knew who she was, but…" she tapped her head, "I never forget the way a power feels. Especially not after only a few months. He never told you he knew me, did he?"

"No." They were both silent for a few uncomfortable seconds before he spoke again. "So what exactly is your power?"

"Well, I can feel when mutants are around, I can feel their power in my heads and then mimic that power, to an extent. The longer I am around the mutant the longer I can mimic their power."

"So you don't really have one of our own?"

"Kind of."

They sat in silence for a little while. Curiously, almost shyly watching each other. "Look John, Pyro, Airen and I have to pack in the morning; we're going to have to move again. Lyle's to proud to call the cops, but he's stupid enough to seek revenge when he recovers. So, I've got to get to bed…but you're welcome to sleep with me tonight. I…I've never been more comfortable than when I've been with you." She spoke slowly, carefully choosing her words as she avoided his gaze.

_ Click, swish, click._

He dropped the lighter back into his pocket and walked over to her. He brushed a few strands of hair away from her face and took her chin into his hand. Passionately, he leaned forward and kissed her. She leaned against him, her arms wrapping around his neck as he picked her up by the waist and they made their way towardsher bedroom.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I didn't get a lot of reviews on the last chapter, which I am attributing to the fact that I uploaded it at about 3:30 in the morning. I love hearing from the lot of you, but could you give more specific things than just "I loved it?" It will help me make the story more enjoyable if I get constructive comments. Also, make sure to let me know if Alee starts to seem to Mary-Sueish, that's definitely the last thing I want.

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Pyro was alone when he woke up the next morning. Startled and cold, he sat up and looked around. She had left, had she? She said she was leaving today, but she'd of waited until he was awake at least, right? As soon as he was awake enough to think clearly, though, he heard voices in kitchen and fell back against the pillow, relieved.

He placed his hands behind his head and lay there, thinking. It felt like everything had changed in the past twelve hours and in a way, everything had. He knew that Magneto was going to be angry with him, furious even; he had been told to come right back from the store. He'd only been allowed out so that he could go buy some food…which he hadn't even managed to do. Besides that, the girl he'd been secretly dreaming about for five years was suddenly back in his life plus a son that he had never imagined he might have had. It was crazy…too much to absorb and not enough time to do it.

He wondered where she was going to go. He wanted to ask her to come with him, to join the Brotherhood, to be with him forever, but there seemed to be some bitterness between her and Magneto. Speaking of which, why the hell hadn't Magneto told him that he knew Aris, that he had a child? Why in the name of earth, heaven and hell, would he keep that from him?

Pyro trusted Magento and knew that he would have a reason for keeping it a secret, but still…that was the kind of thing a man deserved to know! Right? And where the hell were his pants! He wanted his lighter, it was like the stereotypical "safety blanket" to him. He sat up again, looking around and spotted his pants lying on the floor by the window. Stretching as he stood, he picked up his pants and slid them on, pulling the lighter out of his pocket and playing with it a bit. _Click, swish, click. Click, swish, click._ He shook his head and walked out of the bedroom.

Aris sat at the dining room table with her little boy. He was eating a bowl of cereal while she drank a cup of coffee. The kid had been in the middle of saying something, but fell silent when he saw Pyro. Silently the little boy glared at him.

"Morning, Sleepy." Aris smiled at him when she looked up to see why her son had suddenly fallen silent. "Pyro, this is Airen. Airen, this is Pyro…your Daddy." The little boy quickly looked over at his mother, but when he turned back t look at him, his gaze had softened, just slightly.

"Hey, kid…" The young man said, sitting down next to his lady. He wasn't usually shy, but this was a rather special case. The child was almost identical to him at that age…there was no denying that they shared blood. The little boy ignored him, continuing to eat his cereal. His eyes narrowed, looking at Aris questioningly. She shook her head; she'd explain when he wasn't around.

"Airen, love, go pack up your toys…the bags under your bed." The little boy picked up his bowl and dropped into the kitchen sink, walking off to his room with one last look at his Parents. She sighed, shaking her head as she watched the little boy walk off. "Shitty Coffee?" She turned to Pyro, offering him a cup.

"No thanks." He smirked, taking a hand full of cereal out of the box on the table. "So, what's the deal with him?"

"He's tired and grouchy. He was up too late last night…besides; he doesn't like it when guys stay over."

"Why not?"

"Remember how I told you how exactly I was able to afford to live here?"

"Oh…"

"Yeah…"

Both of them were quiet for a few minutes, lost in their own thoughts. He wanted to hold her and hug her and tell her everything was going to be okay now, but he'd never been very good at that kind of thing and to be honest, she didn't seem that upset about the course her life had taken. Maybe she was just use to it. Maybe she was lying to herself. Maybe she knew something he didn't. Whatever the case was, he couldn't comprehend how she lived the way she did. He had thought _he _had it bad at Xavier's, but that was nothing.

"Aris…?"

"Yeah, Babe?"

"Where are you gonna go?"

She thought about it for a second, biting her fingernail. "I'm not sure. Maybe I'll go back to the old town, see if I can fine any of our old friends. I dunno." She shrugged; planning was never something she was very good at. Usually, when it was time to go she just left and wound up where fate took her.

"Don't do that. Come with me."

"To Magneto?"

"Well, yeah."

"I can't do that." Being abandoned by Magento had hurt her…a lot. He had been like a father to her, some one to follow, but all that was gone now.

"He didn't let you die did he?"

"No, but I have a coupe theories about that."

"Like what? Look, Aris…he has his reasons for everything he does. It'll be fine, I swear. His voice was rising.

"Don't worry about it!" She yelled "That's exactly what _I_ thought, but he doesn't care about anyone but himself!" Airen stood outside his room, watching them.

"Mommy?"

"It's okay, baby." She sighed, motioning for the little boy to come over to them. "Your father and I were just talking about where we should go when we leave here. Are your toys packed?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Great. Why don't you sit and watch TV for a little bit?" He walked around the corner and a second later they heard the sound of Spongebob Squarepants and Sandy Cheeks. Aris smiled softly before turning back to Pyro. "Look, I guess I can give it a chance. I…" Her voice dropped off as she looked at him.

"Can't live without me? Can't resist my sexy charm?" He offered her a cocky smirk and she laughed, looking truly happy for the first time since they'd met up last night.

"Yeah, something like that." She shook her head the slightest bit. "There's some bags in my closet, can you help me get packed? I want to talk to Airen for a minute.

"Sure thing." He made a face at her as he walked, clearly hinting that he didn't really feel like packing, but was only doing it because she'd asked. She rolled her eyes and walked into the living room, sitting down next to her son.

"So what's up in the world of Spongebob, today?" She asked him, draping her arm over his shoulders. John stopped to look at them for a second; she was nothing like the girl he remembered, but yet she was still exactly the same. Silently, he watched them for a few seconds before going to start packing her things.

"He's trying to be stronger than Sandy."

"Oh, we've seen this one before." She smiled as the little boy nodded. He yawned, stretching his arms over his head and laid down so that his head was on her lap. "Hey, kiddo…" She said, gently stroking his brown hair. "I want you to know that John…Pyro…isn't like the other men that come around. I actually like being around him. I was hoping you could give him a chance…he _is _your daddy. Maybe we can actually be a family now."

The little boy didn't answer, but he reached for his mommy's hand. They sat quietly for a few minutes, then "Alright, sit up, m'love. I've got to go help pack our stuff."

A couple hours later, the trio was on the road. Pyro had told said that where they were headed was a good hour away, but they could get there in about 45 minutes if they were lucky. Aris drove, he rode shotgun and little Airen was lying on the back seat, playing with an old Game Boy.

"I should get my license." The young man said, absent-mindedly, after a while.

"You don't have it yet?" She sounded genuinely surprised.

"Nah, I never had a chance to get it."

"Well, not having a license never stopped us from having a good time before. D'ya remember how we use to make Sean drive us around and then leave so we could make use of his back seat?" She glanced over at the nineteen-year-old boy, grinning as she remember how frustrated their friend use to get. Pyro, looked at her, then let out the weirdest sound she'd ever heard from the mouth of a human-being; a cross between hysterical laughter and maniacal giggles. She looked at him for a second as they came to a stop at a red-light, then joined him in a fit of laughter.

Airen looked up from his game; he'd never heard his Mommy laugh like that. Laughing without bitterness, or a trace of sadness. This was the first time that he remembered hearing her sound happy like the people on TV. Maybe this guy wasn't going to be too bad after all.

As silence settled in on the car, Pryo turned on the radio. A Nickelback son was just starting, one that Aris obviously knew, because she began to sing. Happily, smiling for what felt like the first time in ages, he watched her sing, thinking vaguely of how appropriate the song was/.

_This time, This place  
Misused, Mistakes  
Too long, Too late  
Who was I to make you wait  
Just one chance  
Just one breath  
Just in case there's just one left  
'Cause you know,  
you know, you know  
That I love you  
I have loved you all along  
And I miss you  
Been far away for far too long  
I keep dreaming you'll be with me  
and you'll never go  
Stop breathing if  
I don't see you anymore _

On my knees, I'll ask  
Last chance for one last dance  
'Cause with you, I'd withstand  
All of hell to hold your hand  
I'd give it all  
I'd give for us  
Give anything but I won't give up  
'Cause you know,  
you know, you know

So far away  
Been far away for far too long  
So far away  
Been far away for far too long  
But you know, you know, you know

I wanted  
I wanted you to stay  
'Cause I needed  
I need to hear you say  
That I love you  
I have loved you all along  
And I forgive you  
For being away for far too long  
So keep breathing  
'Cause I'm not leaving you anymore  
Believe it  
Hold on to me and, never let me go  
Keep breathing  
'Cause I'm not leaving you anymore  
Believe it  
Hold on to me and, never let me go  
Keep breathing  
Hold on to me and, never let me go  
Keep breathing  
Hold on to me and, never let me go


End file.
